It Never Tasted Better
by Potgenie
Summary: Remus Lupin has just won the hugest chocolate egg ever - no thanks to Nymphadora Tonks - and has no idea what to do with it. But never fear, Tonks is here again... to help! :D Eventual RLNT.
1. Dark

_Researchers have discovered that chocolate produced some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two, but can't remember what they are._ **--Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show, August 22 **

chocolate rules

It was snowing heavily. Passers-by walked quickly and briskly, eager to get back to their warm, comforting homes as fast as possible. Remus Lupin was among them. He had just completed some work for the Order and was on his way back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

He was in the town of Hogsmeade, having decided to stop by for a stroll before returning. Lupin liked Hogsmeade -- he still enjoyed the Joke Shop despite his age and, being a chocolate lover, was quite a fan of Honeyduke's sweets. Thus he decided to stop and take a look when he noticed a huge crowd gathered around Honeydukes.

"Come on, come on, everybody!" A large, stout man called. Having patronized Honeydukes quite a couple of time, Lupin recognised him as the Honeydukes shopkeeper. The man said, now, "We're holding a Eat-All-You-Can Chocolate Contest here. The person who can eat the most will win a Special Prize! Any takers?"

The crowd murmured with interest, and Lupin could hear snatches of conversation -- "... reckon we should take part? The prize should be good..." "Do you think I stand a chance at this...?"

"Hey there, Remus." Lupin jumped and turned around. An old lady stood next to him, grinning. At first he wondered who she was. There was something familiar about that smile...

"Tonks!" he smiled in recognition. "Up to your disguises again, aren't you? What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd do a little shopping here. It's my mum's birthday next week. " Grinned Tonks. "And what about you?"

"I had some work to do," Lupin replied. It was inconvenient to talk about the Order in public, and Tonks nodded to show that she understood. "So, a Chocolate Competition, huh? Sounds interesting."

"Thinking of entering?" Tonks asked.

"Are you kidding? No way!" Lupin laughed. "I'm not going to embarrass myself stuffing my face in front of a huge crowd."

"Come on, Lupin, you can do this!" Tonks said, a hint of excitement in her voice. "I've seen you eat chocolate before. For God's sake, you polished off a whole bar in five minutes!"

Lupin felt himself going red. His liking for chocolate was quite a joke among his friends. "That doesn't mean I can win this thing," he retorted. "This contest is about eating as much as you can, not eating fast."

Tonks shrugged. "I still think you should go for it." Suddenly she began waving her hand at the shopkeeper. "Hey, hey there! My son here wants to take part in this contest!"

"What?" gasped Lupin. But it was too late. People were turning to look at Tonks and Lupin with interest.

"Yes, sir, my son here wants to take part, but he's just too shy," Tonks was saying. "There's no age limit or anything, is there? Can he take part?"

The shopkeeper smiled broadly. "Of course," he said friendly. "In fact, he looks quite familiar! I believe I've seen you in my shop quite a couple of times." He said to Lupin.

"Er," Lupin said. To Tonks he whispered, "I'm going to kill you, _Nymphadora."_

Tonks shuddered involuntarily but regained her composure quickly. "He's a real chocolate lover, this son of mine," She said cheerfully. "C'mon, what're you waiting for?" She pushed a flustered Lupin forward. "Go up there and join the action!"

"Uh, I don't think I want to --" Lupin began, but already the crowd was pushing him forward, and the shopkeeper led him towards a long table. There were four people sitting there, blocked by the huge platters of chocolate spread out on the table.

"We needed five people to take part," the shopkeeper said cheerfully. "You came just in time to fill up the gap! Here, take a seat."

Grudgingly Lupin sat down. Next to him was a huge man with a bulging stomach. _This is embarrassing, _he thought with a sigh. _Dumb old Tonks. Just like her to come up with tricks like this!_

The shopkeeper cleared his throat. "Ok, people, now that we have enough contestants… let the contest begins! The person who eats the most chocolate wins!"

Lupin glanced at the other contestants. They had already begun digging in. He glanced at the crowd and caught sight of Tonks winking at him. "You go boy!" she shouted.

Lupin's face was flaming red. God, how embarrassing could she get?

He glanced at the plates of chocolates in front of him. Come to think of it, he _was _pretty hungry. He had skipped lunch due to his work for the Order – it had been pretty time-consuming. He picked up a bar and bit into it. Yum. Rum and raisin. Maybe this competition wouldn't be too bad after all…

Half an hour later…

_I've got to admit, _Lupin thought as he chewed on a bar of fruit-and-nut chocolate, _this thing is pretty fun. I get free food and I might even stand a chance to win a prize! _Two seats away from him, a slightly plump, blonde lady raised her hands and wailed, "Oh, I give up! Chocolate makes me sick!"

As she Apparated away, the shopkeeper announced, "Ok, so it's one down, four to go! Who will give up next?"

Another hour later…

It was down to Lupin and the fat man next to him. Lupin was quite amazed at himself – he had never known that he could eat so much in one go. He knew he looked especially tiny next to the other contestant (who, he had to admit, was monstrous) and he tried to ignored the frequent glares he received from the Fat Man.

He reached out for a chocolate frog. He bit off the left leg. Tonks beamed at him amidst the crowd. "You can do it, baby boy!" she exclaimed.

_Looks like she's having quite some fun, _he thought.

There was a loud thud. The floor shook and Lupin turned, startled. The other contestant had fainted and lay still on the floor, a chocolate frog leg sticking out of his mouth.

"Oh dear," the shopkeeper said as the crowd tittered, "Looks like he's down too! So…" he grinned and pulled Lupin up suddenly. "We've got a winner here! Hmm… it seems that you can't judge a book by its cover, can you?" he added as he looked at Lupin's small (as compared to most of the other contestants') frame.

Lupin shrugged, though he couldn't help smiling slightly as the crowd clapped and cheered, Tonks doing so especially loudly.

"Now for the special prize!" The shopkeeper was positively brimming with enthusiasm. He turned and yelled, "Lads! Lug it out!"

_What is it? _Lupin wondered curiously. Next minute, he gasped in shock.

Three people were dragging a cart out from the back of the shop. And on it was the largest – the hugest – the most enormous ever –

_Chocolate egg._

And it made Lupin feel slightly nauseous just looking at it. The amount of chocolate he had eaten was starting to get to him now.

_What am I going to do with that? _He wondered desperately as the shopkeeper thrust the cart handle into Lupin's hands.

TBC

**There you go – my first chapter! Like it, or not? Review to tell me what you think! Please:D:D**


	2. Caramel

Chapter Two is up! Enjoy. :)

**Disclaimer (I forgot this in the previous chapter): **I obviously do not own Remus, Tonks and all other HP characters, and I also do not own the lyrics of **Mr Lonely **by **Akon.** The song rocks!

_

* * *

Loony, loony Lupin, his brain's the size of a pin, his existence is a sin. Loony, loony Lupin. _– **a schoolmate of mine, who made this up sometime back.

* * *

**

_Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces  
_**--Judith Viorst**

Despite the cold weather, both Tonks and Lupin were sweating and panting by the time they reached Grimmauld Place. They had lugged the egg all the way home, having been unable to Apparate along with it.

"So – darn – heavy." Lupin huffed as they dragged the egg into the house. He turned towards Tonks, who was closing the door as quietly as possible, so as not to awake Mrs. Black's portrait. "Thanks for getting me into all this, Tonks. Tell me, what am I going to do with this stupid thing?"

Tonks (now no longer in her old lady form) opened her eyes in mock horror. "Remus, I'm shocked! I thought you'd be delighted to get such a huge supply of free chocolate. I never imagined I'd see the day when you'll get frustrated with having _too much chocolate._"

Lupin rolled his eyes. "Very funny," he said sarcastically. He glanced around the house. "Now where I shall put this?"

"In Kreacher's den?" Tonks asked mischievously.

"I doubt it'd fit." Lupin said seriously. "Hmm. This won't do. I'll just put it in my room for the time being, I guess."

"But then it'll melt, won't it?" Tonks asked.

"I don't think so. The weather's freezing now," Lupin replied. "Anyway, I guess I can just put a Freezing charm on the egg if it gets too warm. Now help me get this upstairs!"

_chocolate rules_

Lupin and Tonks stood in Lupin's room. It was not a big room, but Lupin had always kept it neat and tidy. Now, though, the egg took up three-quarters of the space and there was not much space left to walk around anymore.

Tonks had never been in Lupin's room before. Now she looked around in interest. There was a small bed, a study desk and a bookshelf. The bookshelf was totally crammed with books.

"Jung, Shakespeare, The Chocolate War… hmm. Classics." Tonks read out the titles of some of the books on the shelf. "_Adventures of Flora the Banana Cheese?"_

"Oh, that," Lupin closed his eyes in embarrassment. "That was my favourite comic when I was little. I couldn't bear to throw it away, and, you know, it provides quite some laughter once in a while -- "

"It's my favourite comic!" Tonks exclaimed, turning to face Lupin, and he noticed that she was grinning broadly. "I can't believe you've got the whole collection! Could you lend me issue #56? I haven't read that yet."

"Ok," Lupin said, trying not to laugh as Tonks took out the issue and flipped through it eagerly. After a few minutes, when she remained engrossed in the comic, he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Huh? Oh sorry," she blushed a little. Lupin had to admit, despite his amusement, that she did looked quite sweet when she was all embarrassed.

_Ok, no wandering thoughts here, _Lupin told himself quickly. He was rather surprised at this sudden thought. He and Tonks had always been rather close, but it had only been normal friendship, and nothing more.

Hmmm.

"So," Tonks said. "What are you going to do about the egg?"

"I have no idea," Lupin sighed, shaking his head. "I guess I'm going to have to live on chocolate from now on."

He glanced at Tonks. There was a glint in her eye. "I have an idea, Remus!" she exclaimed, smiling suddenly. "Let me help you finish this egg!"

"You're planning to eat this with me?" Lupin laughed. "I doubt it'd make much difference, Tonks. We'll just become fat and stupid in about a week's time."

"Geez, we don't have to eat all of it, do we?" Tonks said. "We can do so many things with this egg! Think of all the possibilities! We can start an Egg Project!"

"Name some of your ideas, then," Lupin said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Tonks said cheerfully, "For starters, this egg going to save me spending anything for my mum this year…"

**Forty-five minutes later…**

The two were in the kitchen. They had brought about one-eighth of the egg downstairs with them. They had not seen Sirius yet; he was in another room, tending to Buckbeak.

"Wow, you're pretty good at this!" Lupin said, impressed, as Tonks held up a beautifully made chocolate house.

"I may be clumsy," Tonks said proudly, "But my hands are as deft as ever!"

"So you're going to give this to your Mum?" Lupin asked.

"Yep," Tonks said, nodding. She placed it aside carefully, then glanced at the remaining bit of chocolate on the table.

"I think I have an idea for this bunch," she said.

"What is it?" Lupin questioned, but before Tonks could reply, a mournful voice came drifting in from the hall.

"_Lonely… I'm Mr. Lonely… I have nobody, to call my ownnn…"_

The voice faded away slowly as the owner of it disappeared once more into Buckbeak's room.

"Sirius," Lupin sighed, a despondent look crossing his face. "He's getting worse, being cooped up here for so long. But I can't think of much to help him. Sometimes I just feel so terrible."

"Well, my idea had something to do about him," Tonks said, holding up the chocolate. "I've noticed how depressed he is too. It's not much, really, but if we try to do something special for him, I'm sure he'll feel better knowing someone knows how he feels."

Lupin looked at the huge slab of chocolate Tonks held, thinking. "We could mould it into one of those special things you're so good at, couldn't we?"

Tonks nodded, smiling slightly. Lupin held up his wand to perform the trick.

"Wait!" Tonks said quickly. Lupin glanced at her.

"I was going to make it shaped like a dog." He said.

"There's no sincerity if we simply use magic," she told him. "Let's try it the muggle way – the way I made the house just now – with our bare hands!"

"I don't know if it'll turn out any good…" Lupin said doubtfully.

"Trust me," Tonks said confidently, "It can't be too bad,"

_chocolate rules_

Tonks held up a huge dark chocolate dog. It looked just like Sirius's Animagi form. Lupin had to admit, Tonks was a natural at this sort of thing.

He glanced at his own handicraft. The dog looked slightly squashed, and it was rather out of shape, and the nose was rather too big…

But other than that, he decided, it was perfectly great. He had really put a lot of effort into it.

Sirius entered the kitchen just then. He looked miserable, his hair untidy and his face dirty. He seemed completely devoid of any energy. Lupin felt his own spirits plummet as he watched his best friend sit down next to them at the dining table.

"Hi, Sirius," Tonks said quietly. "How was your day?"

"Awful. Boring. The usual." Sirius said glumly. "I've been up there the whole day tending to Buckbeak. God, do you know I talk to him more than I talk to any other human being? It's just pathetic."

"Sirius, cheer up," Tonks put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look. Remus and I made a little something for you!"

Both of them held out their chocolate dogs.

Sirius stared. "Chocolate dogs? Where did you get them from?" he picked up Lupin's. "A bit funny, this one."

"We made them ourselves," Lupin explained. "A little gift to cheer you up."

They watched a small smile flicker on Sirius's face as he picked up the dogs. "Are they supposed to be me?" he chuckled. He took a bite from one of them. "Hmm. Dark chocolate." He took another bite. "Wow. Now it tastes like white chocolate!" he looked up at them, smiling. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate this."

"Don't let all this cooped up thing get you down, Sirius," Tonks said gently. "It'll all be over soon enough. You've just got to bear with it for a while more before all those dunderheads out there realise you're innocent."

Sirius sighed. "I know that. And I'll try my best." He smiled at the two of them. "_And_ I really appreciate this effort of yours. It's great, you guys!"

And as Lupin watch Sirius take another bite of the chocolate, he could not help thinking that maybe winning that egg wasn't so bad after all.

_TBC_

Acknowledgement time! Thanks for the reviews, guys! 10 was beyond my expectations… :D

Huge smiles to **Auramistealia **(my first reviewer! ), **starnat,** **fadedstardust, LupinLovesTonks, TrinityDD, LilypEoVtAtNeSr **(that is a really creative name!)**, mercutio-rane **(btw, I love your fics:D)**, Nadia S., florence, and superpan! **

And everyone, please do make my day by reviewing!I love reading reviews, they'rereally encouraging. :D


	3. Yoghurt

Disclaimer: I do not own Lupin, Tonks and all other HP characters.

**Let's sing along!**

_Wouldn't it be nice if the world was Cadbury  
You could surf inside a chocolate tube  
Ride your board across the wave forever  
Get wiped out and never get a bruise.  
And if a shark came up and tried to bite you  
You could say "I'm chocolate I invite you"  
**Wouldn't it be nice!**_

_**--Cadbury ad song**_

Happy reading!

Sleeping in on a cold, wintry morning is the best way to spend the early part of the day, indeed. Remus was snuggled under his blankets, fast asleep and dreaming happily. Usually he woke up early, but he had slept late the night before. He had stayed up late with Tonks and Sirius, chatting and reminiscing about the past.

Zzzz. Zzzz. Until, suddenly –

**BANG.**

"AUGH!" Lupin sat up with a start, looking around in utmost shock. "What the--"

"Remus!" Tonks bounded in just then, a huge grin plastered on her face. Dodging around the egg, she sat down on the edge of his bed and held out a copy of _The Daily Prophet._ She seemed completely unaware that she had just scared the daylights of a man who had just been sleeping a couple of minutes ago.

Brandishing the paper at him, she said excitedly, "Look at this!"

"What?" Lupin growled. He was extremely irritated. It was not everyday that he got to sleep in, and on one of the rare days he had the chance to, he just had to be disturbed…

He glanced at the paper. "Why're you still reading this?" He asked, somewhat grumpily. "It doesn't print anything good anymore."

Tonks shook her head. "I want you to look at this advertisement." She told him, and shoved that particular page in his face.

Muttering angrily under his breath, Lupin glanced at the ad. It was huge and filled up three-quarters of the page.

**ANNUAL CRYSTAL CLEAR DRESS-UP COMPETITON**

Madam Curvy's Botique (Located at Diagon Alley) will be holding our – you guessed it – Annual Dress up competition this June! This is _your _chance to come up with the most innovative and creative costumes to wear. Just come down in your costumes on 10th June at 2pm! Attractive prizes to be won. You can enter individually, or in groups (maximum five in one group).

Below the ad was a picture of a slim lady with huge lips. She wore a huge, seductive grin and was wearing a dress made of diamonds. One look and Lupin knew she was Madam Curvy.

"So, why are you showing me this, Tonks?" Lupin asked. His eyes widened in horror when he noticed the look on her face. "No way," he said, shaking his head. "No, no, NO."

"Oh, come on, this will be fun!" Tonks pleaded. "You wanted to get rid of that egg as soon as possible, didn't you? This is a perfect opportunity! I've _always _wanted to dress up in chocolate." She broke off a piece of the gigantic egg and chewed. "Yoghurt," she said, making a face.

"This is a stupid idea," Lupin said crossly. "We'll look like fools. Why don't you just do this yourself? I can give you moral support."

Tonks smiled and shook her head. "I'm shy." She said.

Lupin snorted. "Really." He muttered.

"Oh, please, Remus!" Tonks cried. "Have a sense of adventure! Since we've got to get rid of this burden, we might as well make it fun. We can't just keep eating it, we'll end up like fat pigs after a week."

Remus glanced at her face. She turned her pleading eyes on his and pouted slightly. Remus rolled her eyes. He had to admit she looked pretty cute. But still.

"Tonks, seriously. Everyone'll laugh at us. We -"

"Why do you care so much about this whole image thing anyway?" Tonks said fiercely, standing up. "I don't care what others think. They won't be laughing when we win the first prize! Please, Remus?"

Lupin thought. He had to admit, it was quite an interesting idea, if not a tad too daring, and it _was _creative. Not to mention a good way to get rid of more of that damned chocolate…

"And you're going to just wear chocolate all the way there?" Lupin questioned. "What if it melts or something?"

Tonks shook her head. "We can always wear a shirt underneath or something." Apparently she had gotten it all planned out. "Besides, its freezing out there, no way will it melt so easily." She grinned mischievously.

Lupin sighed. "Fine, I'll do it," he said finally, and Tonks let out a cheer. "So now what?"

Tonks grinned, her eyes sparkling. "Now we plan the costumes!"

TBC 

**Short chapter, but I'm kind of in a rush. Please review! Do I see a decrease in my reviewers? Oh well. Anyway thanks to _mercutio-rane, _****_SongOfRoland, _****_TicTacTurtle, _****_Lady Edelweiss, _****_american-born-confused-desi, _****_starnat, _****_thehpgang_****_ and _****_LilypEoVtAtNeSr_****. You've made my day! **


	4. Rum

**Hello everybody! I'm really sorry for not updating so long, but life has just been so busy for me lately. My GCE O levels are around the corner (I like to think of it as a muggle form of OWLs) and I come home late from school everyday. I don't know how long the next update will take after this, but I'll try to get it up as soon as possible. :)**

**Oh, by the way, HBP is a great read! The RLNT parts weren't fully developed, I think, but the fact that they ARE together in the book rocks. And I cried like shit when Dumbledore died. If you haven't read it, go get it now:D**

_Forget love-- I'd rather fall in chocolate! _**–unknown**

"Heeeeeeeyyy! Remus!"

Lupin looked up from the book he had been reading, trying not to feel too annoyed. For the past hour, Tonks had been calling him into the kitchen, showing him the designs she liked and asking him to choose the one he liked best. Often, the one he chose was the one Tonks would never pick. Both of them had decided that Tonks would be the one to do the designing, but the bad thing, Lupin had realized, that she was just too indecisive. _Why can't she just choose a design and start making the costume already? _Lupin thought in exasperation as he put down his book and apparated downstairs.

"There you are!" Tonks said. Lupin noticed that the look of frustration she had been wearing for the past hour was gone – a good sign; maybe she had finally chosen a costume design!

But as Lupin walked over to her side, he noticed that she had already gone a step further – the costumes had already been made!

"So what do you think?" Tonks asked, beaming, as she held up a chocolate jacket. It looked like brown denim. "Besides this jacket, you also get this." She gestured to a pair of jeans, a plain T-shirt and alas, she had even made chocolate shoes. "I've decided that maybe its best to go casual."

"Wow, Tonks, they're actually pretty good!" Lupin said, impressed. "I just hope they fit." He put a foot gingerly into one of the shoes. It was a perfect fit.

Tonks smiled. "And look at mine!" She held up a flowery (Lupin wondered how she had designed those intricate flowers) sundress and a pair of sandals. On her head was a chocolate sunhat.

"Er, Tonks, I think you might have forgotten something." Lupin said. He gestured to the window. Outside, snow was pouring heavily. "Look at this weather, Tonks. We'll freeze in these."

To Lupin's surprise, Tonks merely laughed. "Don't be silly!" She exclaimed, "Do you really think we're going to wear just the chocolate all the way there? We'll put on a sweater over the costume, or something! I've got it all planned out, there's no way we'll freeze." Her smiled widened, and Lupin could see the excitement sparkling in her eyes. "Oh, I can't wait for the competition!"

**abcdefgh**

"Oh!" Tonks whispered. "I can't believe it! It's here, it's the day itself! I'm so excited… I can't stand it!"

Lupin could not help smiling as he glanced at Tonks's anxious face. She was rubbing her hands nervously and looking around. The Big Day had finally arrived and the pair was outside Madam Curvy's Boutique. Both were wearing jackets over their costumes. The crowd was huge – Lupin had not expected so many to turn out. He could not help feeling nervous himself – this was sure to come out in the Daily Prophet or any other paper. What if he and Tonks made a fool out of themselves? They would be teased silly by Sirius and the others, and even though none of their friends currently knew about them entering the contest, Lupin had the feeling that the news would leak out soon.

"It'll be ok," Lupin told the anxious Tonks. "We'll just try our best… after all, we're just doing this to get rid of that egg faster, right?"

Tonks nodded, then sighed suddenly. "Can you imagine if we win?" She said suddenly. The prize was a hundred galleons – Madam Curvy had announced it earlier that day. That would be fifty each, and Lupin, who was not very well off, knew that the money would come in handy.

"All contestants, please come over and take a number tag," Madam Curvy called out just then. She was wearing a dress made of galleons – it looked pretty heavy and Lupin, remembering the dress she had worn in the photo of the Daily Prophet, had come to the conclusion that she was indeed quite a rich and proud lady.

"Oh, oh!" Tonks whispered as she and Lupin headed over. "I do hope we're not first!"

Madam Curvy held out a tag and Tonks took it with trembling hands. She glanced at it. "Oh no, Remus! We're third!"

"At least we're not first," Remus told her, trying to sound reassuring while feeling quite queasy himself.

"But – third! There must be at least fifty pairs competing here and we've got to be third!"

"Oh, Tonks." Lupin said, shaking his head slightly. "Calm down! At least being third means it'll be over soon enough – and we don't want to wait for our turn too long, do we?"

"I suppose so," Tonks whispered.

They sat in silence for about fifteen minutes. Tonks stared at her feet, biting her lips. Lupin thought of holding her hand to provide some comfort – it seemed like the right thing to do – but for some strange reason there seemed to be a huge mysterious force holding him back, and after a few unsuccessful attempts to reach out his hand he decided it was just the nerves and gave it up.

Just then the crowd began cheering and they looked up. Madam Curvy was announcing something. The competition was beginning!

The two hurried over. "Oh, I do hope the first two pairs are horrid," Tonks whispered.

Loud, techo-ish music began (both winced at the same time as it blared over the speakers) and an elderly couple walked up to the front of the stage. They were wearing what seemed to be butterbeer corks. They had somehow managed to fashion it to look slightly like a dress, and dungarees, which both the female and male were wearing respectively.

"They're not bad," Lupin whispered to Tonks.

"I think my dress is melting," Tonks whispered back.

"What!" Lupin looked up in alarm.

Tonks managed a smile. "Just joking." She whispered.

"Oh god, that was --" but the elderly couple were leaving the stage and the judges had begun whispering, and Lupin was distracted almost at once.

"And now, for our next pair of contestants, Maisy and Daisy Pill, a pair of identical twins! Just look at them!" Madam Curvy cried suddenly.

"We better go backstage." Tonks whispered.

The two scurried off just as two young girls pranced up, both wearing costumes made of ice. The result was that the costumes were translucent, and Lupin could see some men's mouth falling open as the two posed. He himself looked away carefully from the twins.

"That's just gross," Tonks hissed as they went backstage. Some men were catcalling. "I wonder how they don't freeze in those atrocious things."

"I think they must have put a charm on themselves to prevent themselves from turning too cold or something." Lupin replied. He took off his jacket slowly, and Tonks did the same. Luckily for them, their costumes were still well and intact, and had not melted.

"Well, we look pretty good, I must say." Tonks said as they gazed at their reflections in a full-length mirror in front of them. "You look quite spiffy really, I think chocolate suits you!"

Lupin laughed. "You looked quite nice yourself." He told her, and it was true – the sundress was really quite pretty on Tonks despite that it was made brown.

Just then, the Pill twins came in, giggling and whispering. They looked up, saw the pair, and laughed. "It's your turn now," One of them said, "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Lupin replied as the two dashed into the changing rooms. Tonks scowled.

The two carefully linked hands and walked onstage.

"And now we have Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, a pair of good friends! Mmm, they look good enough to eat, don't they!"

"I'm freaking out here." Tonks hissed in Lupin's ear.

"You're not alone," Lupin hissed back. "I think I'm getting a bad case of stage fright."

They walked up to the front of the stage, both trying to muster their biggest, sunniest smile. That was when Lupin noticed someone in the crowd that made his smile slide off his face – Severus Snape. He was watching them, an amused smile on his face. He caught sight of Lupin looking at him and shook his head, his smile growing wider. Lupin did not like the look of that smile.

Cameras flashed and for a moment Lupin went quite blind. Then the pair turned and returned backstage.

"I saw Snape in the crowd." Lupin told Tonks when they were finally backstage.

"What!" Tonks looked up in horror. "Oh, no… of all people! We're goners now, I bet he's going to tell everyone we're in this contest to make a fool out of us."

"He probably won't do such childish things." Lupin sighed, shaking his head as he remembered Snape's twisted smile. "Well, let's go get changed."

Tonks scooped up her clothes. "We actually did it, Remus!" She said happily as she entered the changing room. "I do hope we win!"

TBC

**So will they win? Find out in the next chapter:D Hoped you guys like this one. And oh, before I forget, the usual quick acknowledgements!**

Thanks to **mercutio-rane, ****Goldpen, ****TicTacTurtle****, Lady Edelweiss, starnat, ****LilypEoVtAtNeSr, ****thehpgang, ****Sharivari, ****Rosiemary, ****lupinsmoon12391, ****Sugar-Coated-Goodbyes****, Dragonkeeper **and **Evil Shall Giggle** .Your comments were greatly appreciated. :)


	5. Hazelnut

**Yoo hoo! I'm finally back with the fifth chapter! Exams are finally over… here comes two months of not having to study! cheers sorry for not updating so long… and thanks for all the wonderful reviews! (quick acknowledgements at the bottom of the page, as usual) anyway, just sit back, relax, grab a bar of chocolate and read the fifth chapter! And review!**

_As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate. **- **_**Sandra Boynton**

About an hour had passed since the pair had gone upstage and "flaunted" their costumes. Now that they were backstage, waiting for everyone to finish and for the results to be announced, Tonks could not stop talking.

"Do you think we'll win? The next few pairs were quite lousy compared to us, weren't they? Especially that one that wore costumes made up of plastic bags… have you seen anything dumber? But I we didn't get to see all the contestants… what if there's someone really good? I really want to win, Remus!"

Lupin sighed. "We might not be first, but there's still a second, a third and three consolation prizes, Tonks," he explained patiently, "we do have a chance of winning those. Don't worry too much, what's done is done. Besides, we don't even know what the prizes are. They might not be any good."

Tonks shrugged. "It's fun to win."

Lupin just smiled. Sometimes, Tonks really acted younger than her age.

Just then, a voice blared from the speakers: "All contestants please gather onstage! The results will be announced shortly."

"Ooooooooooooh!" Tonks squealed. She looked at Lupin. "It's time!"

The Pill twins, who had been hiding in a changing room gossiping, suddenly dashed out, giggling. Lupin noticed that what they were wearing were almost as bad as their costumes. Short mini skirts that only just covered their butts, and tank tops that made them look like they were wrapped up in spellotape. Tonks frowned slightly, and the pair followed them.

The stage was crowded with all the contestants, whispering and giggling nervously. Tonks and Lupin hid at the back. "So it won't be so humiliating if we lose." Tonks whispered.

"Ok, everybody," Madam Curvy announced, walking upstage. She had changed her costume to the one she had worn in the advertisement – the one made of diamonds. People "oohed" and "ahhed" when she pranced upstage.

"The verdict is out, and we've got the winners," Madam Curvy said, waving a pink envelope about. "But first, I'm going to tell everyone here what the winners get!"

"Each consolation winner will get a nice food hamper, sponsored by Honeydukes. The second runner-up will get the food hamper, free reservations at a restaurant in Hogsmeade – Madam Puddifoot's, _and _besides that, fifty galleons! The runner-up will get the hamper, the reservations and eighty galleons, and best of all, the champions will win free two-way tickets to lovely Italy, where they will enjoy an enchanting exchange programme with a host family of wizards and witches there, _and _a hundred galleons."

"The first prize sounds _wonderful," _Tonks whispered. "It's so much better compared to the others… I do hope we're the champions."

"We'll see," Lupin whispered.

"Okay, for our three consolation winners, we have old Mr and Mrs Smithies, with their ingenious costumes made of buttercorks, Miss. Twain and her boyfriend Mr. Johnson, with their lovely costumes made of gum wrappers, and last but not least, newly-weds Mr and Mrs. Olivers with their costumes made of old ticket stubs! Please come forward!"

The three pairs made their way over to Madam Curvy and accepted their food hampers.

"And now… for the second runner-up…"

Lupin suddenly realised that Tonks was clutching tightly onto her hand. She was biting her lips and looked awfully nervous. _This competition must mean a lot to her,_ he thought. He squeezed her hand slightly to make her feel better. She turned and gave him a tiny smile.

"We have best friends Janet Wakely and Miranda Brown for their wonderful costumes made of plastic bags!"

"_What? _They won third!" Tonks hissed in Lupin's ear as the pair went forward, beaming, to take their prizes. "Gosh, I wonder who the judge is."

"For the runner-up, we have…"

Tonks took a deep breathe.

"Good friends Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, with their adorable chocolate costumes!"

"That's us, Tonks!" Lupin whispered. He glanced at her. She looked slightly disappointed.

"I was hoping we could be first." She whispered back.

Lupin shook his head. The two went forward and took their prizes. As Lupin took the food hamper, he noticed a huge packet of orange-flavoured Honeydukes chocolate in it and groaned inwardly.

The two went back to their original positions – the contestants were supposed to stay onstage until all the results were announced.

"And, of course, for our champions, we have the beautiful Pill twins with their most lovely ice costumes!"

"What!" Tonks shrieked, horrified as the pair danced forward, giggling and waving as the audience cheered and whistled. "How could they win? Augh, they made me so mad!"

Lupin laughed. "Calm down, Tonks."

"I bet the judges are all men. Lecherous, fat dirty old men." She hissed venomously.

"And that's the end of our competition. If you have time, do come inside and have a look at my boutique!" Madam Curvy called.

Tonks and Lupin went off slowly, holding their prizes.

Tonks waved an envelope which contained their reservations for the restaurant. "the reservation's on next Sunday evening." She told Lupin. "You free then?"

Lupin thought for a moment. Sometimes he had to work extra for the ministry on weekends, but after a while he remember that Arthur Weasley was taking the Sunday shift next week. "Yep, I am." He replied.

"Great! So we can go then. I've never gone to Madam Puddifoot's before, I wonder how it's like."

Lupin smiled. "It's…" but he trailed off when he saw Snape. He had just stepped out of the Apothecary, holding a bagful of items. He looked up, saw the pair with their prizes and smirked. Luckily he did not stop to chat, but left right after that.

"He's weird, I think," Tonks said quietly. "I never know what's going through his mind."

"I don't bother about him." Lupin said. "He minds his business, I mind my own."

The two headed home, making two pairs of footprints in the milk-white snow.

**abcd**

Tonks and Lupin were in Lupin's bedroom. They had decided that the best thing to get rid of the egg was to break it into small pieces and put them into containers, and then give them as presents to their friends. But it was a long, tedious process; they had only filled about three containers, and the egg was still huge, imposing and taking up the majority of the space in Lupin's room.

"And now, besides this egg, we still have this huge honeydukes hamper to finish off," Tonks sighed. She pulled a Sugar Quill out of the hamper. "Gee, I remember Flitwick catching me use this before in class, back when I was in Hogwarts." She peeled off the wrapper and began sucking on it.

"And I wonder whose fault it is that we have all these junk?" Lupin asked. He waved his wand and chunks of chocolate broke off from the egg, and into the container he was holding.

"Oh, come on!" Tonks cried. "Where's your sense of adventure? Ok, I admit it's a bit troublesome now, but I do believe the rest of it was fun. Like making Sirius those chocolate stuff. It was great."

"Yeah, that was," Lupin agreed.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Weasley came into the room.

"Hello, dears," she said, smiling at them. "I've got something to tell you. It's Ron's birthday two weeks from now; he'll be back in time for it as it falls nicely at the start of the Christmas holidays; and as Arthur has gotten a little bonus in last month's pay, we've decided to throw him a birthday party!"

"That's great!" Tonks said.

"Yes, it is. We've decided to hold it here, in this house. Harry suggested it, you know; it's for Sirius's sake, we thought he'd like the company."

"That's a wonderful idea," Lupin said, "I'm sure Sirius will enjoy our company."

"Well, it's on the Friday two weeks from now. Do try to turn up, Ron will definetly want you two at the party; and I'm sure Harry and Hermione feel the same."

"Sure, we'll turn up." Lupin said. Mrs. Weasley smiled and left the room, l closing the door behind her.

"I wonder what Ron will like for his birthday." Lupin mused.

Tonks's eyes twinkled suddenly. She turned and looked at the egg, and then at Lupin. "I've just got a wonderful idea…"

TBC

**Ok, end of chapter! Hope you liked it! I was planning to include a short exchange between Lupin and Snape, but decided against it in the end. Hope those that were expecting some heated argument don't mind… I might add Snape in later chapters! For some reason I don't feel like making Snape talk yet, haha! Not much LupinTonks yet, but next chapter will consist of Lupin and Tonks's dinner at Puddifoot's (big grin) and preparation for Ron's present. Sirius will join in the fun! **

**Anyway, do review this chapter:D**

**And **thanks to **thehpgang, Lolita Haze, hawkerstand**(Can't put your whole email or it doesn't appear at all, sorry. What's tYt? Hehheh.)**, LyssaTucci**(yes I agree, chocolate is the best!)**, notoriousreviewer, Carnivalgirl, SilverStar24, lupinsmoon12391**(Sorry for the long lack of update… haha, but here's this chapter for you!)**, kessypegssy, Sweetdeath04, chaotic pink chocobo, goldpen**(thanks for the correction. :) Snape didn't do much in the end, I guess!)**, Cassandera, Yoshimi Minamino, WildBlackWolf and Viva**(very big)** funkymunky1528, Ari-Griffin, Commander Zucchini, TicTacTurtle, prettypatty, Tonks moonlight, Unwanted Red Roses, mercutio-rane, lovehpmariyanaabv.bg, Evil Shall Giggle and Princesstphanie.** Thanks a zillion. :D


	6. White

**Hey people! It's been long but I'm finally back with an update! Hope you guys haven't forgotten wee little me. ) I've been real busy, what with college life and everything. But I'm really happy to proclaim that I've been accepted to the college of my dreams! Thus I decided to get on with continuing this story. D Enjoy!**

_'This guy found a bottle on the ocean, and he opened it and out popped a genie, and he gave him three wishes. The guy wished for a million dollars, and poof! There was a million dollars. Then he wished for a convertible, and poof! There was a convertible. And then, he wished he could be irresistible to all women... poof! He turned into a box of chocolates.'_  
- **Anonymous**

_Sunday afternoon, 4pm_

Remus Lupin stood in front of his wardrobe mirror, staring at himself.

He was wearing the best suit he had – a grey one, a gift from his mother a few years back ("It's time you start dressing like a gentleman," she had said upon presenting it to him) but despite that it was rather tattered and old. As it was his best suit, Lupin had worn it to several more, well, formal occasions. It may be his best suit, but it certainly wasn't new.

In about two hours time, he'd be meeting Tonks for their dinner at Puddifoot's. It was not like Lupin to care a lot about his appearance - what was the point, really, when he did not have the ability to afford something good enough to make him look better? Besides, his transformations took a toll on him and there was nothing he could do to prevent the graying hair and premature lines. He had long given up on dying his hair back to its original brown colour.

However, for some reason, he felt some need to put in more effort for this particular dinner date. Maybe it was partly the fact that he had not been out on a formal dinner date for a long time – he could hardly afford dinners like this and besides, his work for the Order meant that there was not much time left for him to eat a good, long dinner – usually it was quick takeaways, a sandwich, or sometimes nothing at all. This dinner was really a treat, and Lupin felt the need to make more of an effort for it.

Or was it the fact that it was a dinner with a girl, who would undoubtedly put a huge emphasis on appearance? He wasn't sure if Tonks was that kind of person, she certainly did not look like one… but still, Lupin felt rather inclined to dress up for her sake, too. No point spoiling a good dinner by dressing too shabbily.

Lupin glanced at his clock. Half past four. He decided to have a nice cup of coffee first before going to meet Tonks – they would be meeting at Hogsmeade.

**abcd**

"Hey Remus!"

Lupin looked up and smiled. The bright bubblegum pink hair was not hard to miss. Tonks stood next to a signpost, waving energetically at Lupin's direction.

He hurried over. "Hey there," he greeted, smiling. "So… shall we go?"

Tonks nodded, and the two set off. Lupin took in her appearance as they headed to the restaurant. She was wearing a skirt – a dark blue denim one with a tiny picture of a wizard's hat at the bottom right corner. Lupin had never seen Tonks in a skirt before – she was always clad in simple jeans and T-shirt. Yes, she _had _worn a chocolate dress for the competition, but it seemed really rather different from a real cloth skirt. She was also wearing a white blouse with cute buttons – star-shaped ones- something very different from her usual shirts.

"You look pretty good today," Lupin complimented, smiling slightly.

Tonks turned to look at him. "Really?" she smiled. "Thanks, Remus! This top is new, you know – I just got it last week."

"It suits you." Lupin told her. Tonks' smile widened, and she pointed out, more animatedly than usual, the new fiery chocolate tarts that were on sale in Honeydukes.

They soon reached Puddifoot's. Lupin pushed opened the door and the two entered.

For a split second, Lupin thought there was something wrong with his eyes – why had the world gone pink? Then he realized that that was the colour of the whole restaurant – pink, in different shades. The counter was pink, the chairs and tables were pink, the walls, ceiling, floor tiles, doors…all pink. Couples sat at their respective tables. Most of the guys seemed to be enjoying themselves, but Lupin had a feeling they were only putting on a show for their girlfriends.

As the two headed towards an empty table, Tonks hissed in Lupin's ear, "Oh, gosh. Did I mention that I hate pink?"

Lupin smiled. "Then why is your hair that colour all the time, may I ask?"

Tonks laughed. "It's to make a statement. Besides, a lot of people have told me pink hair suits me. But – just look at this! This is too much."

"It is pretty disturbing," murmured Lupin, fingering his chair, which was shaped as a heart.

A waitress came up just then, holding two menus.

"Hello there!" She greeted them warmly as she handed the two the menus. "We're having a special offer today. Today, you can get the Couple Set Dinner for a twenty percent discount! Besides, you get a free rose to present to your girlfriend here!" She winked at Lupin.

He felt his face grow hot. "She's not my girlfriend." He said quickly.

The waitress's eyes widened, and she went slightly red too. "Oh – in that case… there _are _plenty other sets to choose from." She said quickly, gesturing at the menus, before hurrying off.

There was a rather awkward silence. Finally, Tonks said, with a small smile, "You have to admit, that was kind of funny."

"Not to mention embarrassing…" murmured Lupin.

Tonks shook her head. "Is it very embarrassing to be thought of as my boyfriend?" she asked. As Lupin shook his head quickly, she added, "come on, let's order."

Lupin stared at her. Was it his imagination, or had she sounded hurt? Besides, to answer her last question, he'd have thought it would be the other way round...

**wxyz**

"At least the food was good," Tonks commented as the two stepped out of the restaurant about an hour later. "and the portion was big. I don't think I've felt so full before in my entire life!"

Lupin chuckled. "Yes, but I have to admit, the best part was the dessert."

At this, Tonks laughed. "That chocolate fondue was huge! With that chocolate egg back home, I was amazed that you could actually eat it."

Lupin shrugged, smiling. "Well, I've always loved chocolate. I was sick of the egg, but give me chocolate in a different form, and I think I can still take it."

Tonks remembered how Lupin had looked so happy devouring chocolate in the chocolate competition, and smiled too. It seemed that the two of them had been hanging out together a lot since that fateful day, she mused to herself, and she had pretty much enjoyed his company. She hadn't really known him very well before, and her impression of him, when she had first joined the Order, was that he was a rather serious man, rather like a teacher. But now, she was relaxed around him, and she actually had fun when he was around!

"A knut for your thoughts?" Lupin asked, looking at her face. She seemed deep in thought.

"Oh, nothing much." Tonks said, smiling up at his face. _I'd thought hanging around him would be pretty weird because I'm so much younger than him, _she thought, _but no, I don't feel immature or anything weird at all when I'm with him. In fact, I can act like myself… without being called nosey, or clumsy, or talkative, as many do!_

**fghi**

"So, you said you had a wonderful idea for Ron's birthday present, involving the chocolate egg?" Lupin asked Tonks.

The two were in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. They had moved the egg down, so it was standing next to the table they were seated at. Both were waiting for Sirius to come down to join them; he was currently busy feeding Buckbeak his daily supply of rats.

"Yep," Tonks replied cheerfully. She brushed back her pink hair and said, "you know how Ron loves chocolate – the way he devours those Honeydukes bars! Using the egg is like killing two birds with one stone – we get to get rid more of that stupid thing, and Ron will be happy with the gift."

"But it's not very original giving him chocolate, don't you think?" came a voice. Sirius entered the kitchen, holding an empty, blood-stained sack. "I bet about a thousand other people will be giving him food."

"It's not just chocolate." Tonks said. "I have a wonderful idea. AND, it'll probably use up about half of that egg with this gift!"

"What is it, then?" Lupin asked just as the same time as Sirius said, rather impatiently, "get on with it, my dear!"

"Well, we all know how Ron _adores _Quidditch," Tonks said, "so I was thinking, we could use the chocolate to make some stuff again, like how we made those costumes, Remus – you know, we could make all the quidditch balls they have, the snitch, the quaffle and all that – and we could make a nice big chocolate broomstick, and put a flying spell on it so Ron can fly on it for a while, then he can eat it when the spell wears off!"

"Eat it after he rides on it?" Lupin said in amazement. "That's kind of unhygienic, isn't it?"

"He won't mind, boys never do." Tonks said. To Lupin's slight surprise, Sirius nodded in agreement.

"This is a good idea, Tonks," he said. "and it would last a long time, making all these quidditch stuff, I won't feel so bored for some time." He grabbed a piece off the egg as Lupin and Tonks glanced at each other. "Ok," he said, looking up at them; and Lupin was glad to see that for the first time in ages, he actually looked rather excited. "I'm going to start with a bludger!"

TBC

**Finally! The sixth chapter complete! Sorry it took me soooooo long. I hope I haven't been forgotten! Anyway, here are the usual acknowledgements: **

Thanks **lupinsmoon12391, Catchcat, starnat, thehpgang, TicTacTurtle, ****raykoRavenclaw****, Tonksmoonlight, ****SilverMoonShining****. Sweetdeath04, me (again) whoever you are, lol, Lena, krumfan, ****Rogue-aka-Nettie**** AND Randomisation. **Big hugs!

**Please read and review!**


	7. Bittersweet

**Sorry, once again, for the long lack of update. I'm sure you guys must have gotten used to this. Haha. I've just updated my profile and then got the sudden urge to write another chapter! So anyhow, enjoy… and don't forget to REVIEW! I love reviews almost as much as chocolate! -giggles stupidly-**

**Oh, and I've realised, Ron's birthday is in March, right? And I made it to be in the Christmas hols! Well, there's nothing I can do now because I need it for the plot, so you guys just go along with the flow, ok? Sorry about that. Haha.**

_To have one's diet defeated by chocolate is a delectable defeat. - _**Shirley Thomas**

"I do miss Quidditch," Sirius commented, with a small sigh, as he carefully put down his completed Bludger.

Lupin smiled slightly. "Once you've been cleared, Sirius, you can go to all the Quidditch matches you want."

Sirius shrugged. "That'll be the day." He looked up as Tonks held up a broomstick. "Whoa, you're pretty good at this, aren't you? That's a Firebolt, right?"

Tonks nodded, beaming and looking extremely proud of herself. "Yup. Since Ron can't afford a real one, he should at least own a yummy chocolate one."

Sirius let out his usual bark-like laughter. "Not a bad idea, cousin dear." He glanced at the still-gigantic chocolate egg. "We only have the quaffle left to make, and there's still so much left…" he said. Then he smirked. "But it provides the two of you quite some quality bonding time, doesn't it?" he remarked rather childishly.

"_Sirius," _Lupin admonished like a teacher, though for some reason he felt his heart skip a beat when he mentioned that. He glanced over at Tonks quickly. Her face was rather pink, but otherwise she was smoothing out the twigs of her chocolate Firebolt in a composed manner.

Lupin shook his head. _What is the matter with me?_

**1234**

That night, Lupin lay in bed, thinking.

The chocolate egg was as usual, blocking his view of the window. But this couldn't be helped; despite it being half its usual size now, it was still amazingly big. At least it wasn't melting since the weather was still so cold – that he was thankful for. He tossed and turned in his bed, his eyes closed, but yet he couldn't sleep. In his mind he replayed the events that had happened in the past few days, coupled with Sirius's words.

"…_quality bonding time…"_

_Why_ _in the world am I so bothered by this? _Lupin thought to himself. Sirius was a tad childish for his age – that couldn't be helped, he had been locked away from the outside world for too long. Yet, he couldn't remember the last time he had had so much fun. The eat-all-you-can chocolate competition, the dress-up competition, making presents for Sirius… he had enjoyed himself entirely in all these events. They had made him feel much more alive and younger, instead of the deathly old werewolf he always thought himself to be. And all these time, he had been with Tonks.

Lupin probed anxiously at his feelings. _Do I…_

He had had plenty of crushes in his youth, some silly, others much more serious. Most of time, he had been much too shy to make a move – it had mainly been his condition that held him back. The brief relationships that he did have never lasted. Once, he had told his rather serious stead the truth about what he was. She had smashed her dinner in his face and stalked out of his house, never to return to him again. After that dreadful heartbreak, Lupin had mostly kept his emotions to himself.

The image of the vivacious, cheerful young woman floated into his mind. Tonks. She was always capable of making him laugh, cheering up his day, and full of surprises. Lupin smiled to himself at the thought of her.

That was when he realised it. _I like her, _he thought. _I like her – more, much more than just a friend. _"I like you, Tonks," he whispered into the night, then felt shocked at how he had so blatantly declared his feelings – something he had not done in years.

_But, so what if I like her? _Lupin thought sadly to himself. This was probably a one-sided love. Besides, Tonks was smart, funny, and good-looking; he could not think of a single reason why she would like a poor werewolf more than ten years his senior. _There's nothing I can do, _Lupin thought, as he rolled over and shut his eyes firmly.

A few doors away, Tonks looked at the chocolate Quidditch set that was lying on her desk, and smiled to herself. The past few days had been pure fun for her, and indeed, it had mostly been Remus Lupin that had made it all so enjoyable.

"_Quality bonding time…"_

She mumbled the words without really realising it, then glanced at the photo of her, Lupin and the egg – taken on the day of the All-you-can-eat Chocolate competition, and chuckled.

She brushed her hair one last time, put down her comb and clambered into bed. The smile never left her face as she drifted off to dreamland.

**5678**

It was Ron's birthday party. Lupin, Tonks and Sirius's present was wrapped up in a special type of paper so the chocolate wouldn't melt. They had cast a strong flying spell on the broom – it would last for about a week. It was both a Christmas and birthday party, thus it was double the celebration. The whole downstairs of Grimmauld Place was brightly decorated with colourful crepe paper, magical balloons that don't burst and a huge green mistletoe at the doorway. There was also a wonderfully decorated Christmas tree, with little fairies hanging on it. Once in a while the fairies would shout up cheery greetings like "Have a merry Christmas!" or "Happy birthday, Ronniekins!"

Everybody was in great spirits. There was a good deal of shouting and cheering going on. Every so often, it got so loud that someone had to go and stop Sirius's mother's portrait from screaming. All in all, it was great fun; and soon, Lupin found himself in a Truth of Dare game with Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, Sirius and Tonks.

"The more, the merrier!" Sirius exclaimed as he pulled a rather reluctant Lupin in. "Come on, its Christmas AND Ron's birthday, be a sport!"

"Yeah, Remus, it's all in good fun," Tonks added cheerfully. The sound of her voice made his heart skip a beat.

"Oookkk," Ron said. "Since I'm the birthday boy, I'll spin first." He took hold of the empty butterbeer bottle and spun it hard. It landed in front of George, who groaned while everyone else shouted and laughed.

"Truth or dare?" Harry asked at once.

George shrugged his shoulders, grinning. "Well, dare, of course."

"Darn it! Knew he'd choose that." Ron said, smirking and shaking his head.

"Well, what'd you expect, lil' bro? I've never been comfortable with Truths." George told him.

"I dare you," Hermione spoke up suddenly, "to do a strip dance right now in front of us."

George looked rather shocked. He wasn't the only one.

"Hermione!" Everyone cried, and Ginny exclaimed, "I'd never expect you, of all people, to say something like that!"

Hermione shrugged. "Got it from a Muggle novel." She said, smiling.

George got to his feet gamely. While doing a sort of weird dance, he took of his sweater, his shirt, and his pants and socks. Soon he was left with nothing on but a pair of boxers decorated with weird-looking Santa clauses.

"Hey, it's only for today," he told the others as they shrieked with laughter.

Lupin smiled, amused at everyone's reactions. He was way past all these good childish fun – they were a laugh, but he now got tired of them easily. He glanced at Tonks, who was smiling too. She turned and caught his eye and they both shared a grin. She felt the same way as him, too.

George hurriedly put on his clothes before Mrs. Weasley could hurry up and admonish him for risking a bad cold. He spun the bottle hard.

It landed in front of Tonks.

"Wooo-hoo!" Ron hooted. "And what shall it be?"

"A dare, of course." Tonks said confidently.

"A dare, huh?" Ginny said, a mischievous glint in her eyes, but Sirius jumped in ahead of her.

"I dare you, Tonks. Kiss Remus. On the lips."

Everyone gasped. Lupin felt himself turn red, and gave Sirius a deathly glare. _What in the world is he thinking? Does he… does he actually know how I feel about her?_

Sometimes, he decided, having a childhood friend who knows you so well can be a pretty bad thing.

"Go on! Go on, Tonks!" Everyone was cheering. Tonks sat frozen, looking rather dumbfounded.

Lupin watched her face. "She doesn't want to do it; don't force her." He said firmly. Inside though, he could not help feeling rather disappointed. Disgusted with this, he shook himself and tried to keep a neutral expression.

"Who says?" Tonks had stood up suddenly. She tossed back her head and strolled over to Lupin.

"What -" Lupin began, but Tonks did not let him finish. She bent down, and kissed him hard on the lips.

Sirius let out his trademark laughter and the rest cheered and clapped. When Tonks let go, Lupin looked at her, stunned. Her smile was soft, but he noticed there was a rather confused expression in her eyes, as though she was shocked by her own sudden daring. In fact, she looked like how he had felt on that fateful night when he realised his feelings for her.

TBC

**I'm done! I hope that wasn't too bad, I tried to get the two closer. I know it's a bit clichéd, so do review and tell me what you think!**

And thanks to**Kara Adar, ****krumfan, ****Sims2lover****, SilverMoonShining, ****Bardlover, ****Randomisation, ****TicTacTurtle, ****MagicalSecret, ****Emily-Blondie, ****Ethlena **and of course **thehpgang** for reviewing! Especially to those who did not forget my story despite all those months of not updating!


	8. Butter Biscuit

**Whoa! Surprised by this faster-than-usual update? Well, I just suddenly had the urge to update all my fanfics… not that I have many to update. Haha. Sadly I have also discovered that a long lack of update also means a gradual shortage of reviews. I didn't receive many for the last chapter… do please review, people, they're what keeps me going! So, onwards with chapter eight! 100th review gets a virtual Ritter sports butter biscuit chocolate bar – I can draw one on paint and send it to you! (It's my favourite flavour!)**

_Seven days without chocolates makes one weak._** - Daniel Worona** (Get it?)

Tonks sighed as she stood under the shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water cascading over her. It was midnight, and the party had just ended. As she scrubbed herself she replayed the events that had happened that night.

The truth or dare game… what in the world had come over her? Sure, she was young, wild and spunky, but yet she got the feeling that when she had went forward to kiss Remus, it wasn't just for the sake of good fun. When their lips met, she had felt something… something more.

Yes, she had kissed before. She was pretty attractive, after all, and had her share of boyfriends. Some of the kisses were exciting, full of fireworks and sparkles, some empty, kisses just for the sake of kissing. She sighed, remembering her brief one with Remus. His lips were soft and full. It hadn't been a real kiss, but she had to admit it wasn't a bad one.

Tonks turned off the shower and put on a purple bathrobe. _Why? _She thought, _it's just Remus, he's just a good friend, he's a nice and caring person, someone I've been spending a lot of time with lately, and – and…_

That was when it hit her. She had fallen in love with none other than Remus Lupin.

**love**

Remus stared out of his bedroom window, deep in thought. Like Tonks, he was also replaying the events from the game. It had been a long time since he had kissed anyone, unless you counted those little pecks on his mother's cheek when he went to visit. Yes, it was brief and everything… but… it felt good. And even though this was such an un-Remus-sy thought… but he wanted _more. _

_Knock, knock._

Remus jumped and looked about. It was just the door. He walked over immediately and opened it. When he saw who it was, he blushed immediately, then felt highly embarrassed. For god's sake, he was acting like a teenager meeting his crush…

"Hi, Remus," Tonks said softly. Her hair was raven black now, wet and sleeked back. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I saw that your light is still on… may I come in?"

"Oh – uh – sure," Remus replied, feeling just a tad flustered. "It's ok, you didn't disturb me at all."

"That's good, then." Tonks entered and Remus closed the door. She glanced at the egg, which Remus had shifted to a corner so he could have a good view through the window. "It's still so huge." She said, smiling.

"Yeah," Remus agreed, a small smile creeping up his face as well. "It looks like it's going to take forever to get rid of it."

Tonks chuckled. She dug out a small piece and took a bite. "Ooh, it's got butter biscuits bits – my favourite." She held it out. "Want to try?" Not being one to turn down good chocolate, (even if he had a huge chocolate egg standing in his room) Remus took a bit and ate it.

"Hmm, nice. I've never tried this flavour before."

"You haven't?" Tonks exclaimed, surprised. "I'm surprised – I'd have thought you'd have tried every flavour in the world! This is my favourite flavour – strangely enough I first tried it in a muggle shop."

"Really? Maybe I should go visit one someday." Lupin said, smiling. She smiled back, and then a rather awkward silence descended upon them.

Tonks, being the straightforward and blunt girl she was, decided to get to the point.

"You know, about the game just now…" Remus looked up at once, a surprised and confused expression on his face. _Darn, this isn't going to be easy,_ Tonks thought. "The truth or dare game… that dare – the kissing one-"

"Ye-yeah?" Remus said, his eyes on her face.

"I just want to say…" Tonks took a deep breathe. "I liked it, Remus. Damn it, I _enjoyed _it, brief as it was. I've thought through this just now – _really _thought about this, and… I think… no, I _know _that I've fallen for you, Remus. This confession isn't easy, it really isn't…" she looked up at Remus, her eyes pleading. "I hope I haven't made things difficult, but I just wanted to know… do you feel the same way?"

Lupin stared at her, his mind racing. So she felt the same. He felt relieved and exhilarated. But yet, another voice spoke in his head – "She's young, pretty, and has her whole life ahead of her. But now she's gone and fallen for _you, _Remus Lupin, an old, broke, discriminated werewolf!"

He looked at her. "Nymphadora-"

"_Tonks,_" she hissed emphatically, and he couldn't help smiling.

"Tonks, I don't know what to say… but have you made the right choice? Look at me… I'm old… poor… I'm not even human…"

"God dammit, do you really think I care about those things?" Tonks practically shouted, and Lupin actually jumped. "Do you think I'm that superficial, that shallow? Don't you know me well enough, Remus?" To her surprise, she felt tears in her eyes, and blinked them away. "Is this just a pathetic excuse to tell me you don't feel the same? Because if it is, just tell me straight. I can take it."

"No. That's not it!" Remus cried. He was amazed at this sincere confession. But yet – there was too much truth in what he had said to ignore. "I – I must say that I _do _like you back, Tonks. But under such circumstances-"

But he never got to complete his sentence, for Tonks had suddenly pulled him close and kissed him forcefully on the lips.

Lupin's eyes widened in shock. He thought of breaking away, but temptation gave in and embraced her.

Her lips tasted of chocolate, and he knew his did, too. But that only reminded him of all the things they had shared and done the past few weeks, all because of a chocolate egg. He closed his eyes, and something Sirius said long ago came into his mind. _You should relax more, Moony. You're always so uptight! Live the moment. _

And for once, he did.

**TBC**

**I think this story's going to end soon… I'm not sure, I'll see where it takes me. This has got to be the most romance-filled and humour-lacking chapter ever! I really enjoyed writing this, so please tell me what you think! I hope they're not too OOC. I had to make him say all those stuff about him being not good enough for her and all that because I wanted to follow the book… and I do think that's sort of like what happened. So, please review! And here are the usual thank-yous: **

**A big hug and thank you to MagicalSecret, rock-and-roll-girlfriend, krumfan, lupinsmoon12391, Unwanted Red Roses, Randomisation, Evil Shall Giggle, **and last but not least **thehpgang **for all your beautiful reviews! Hope you have enjoyed this chapter and remember, the 100th reviewer gets my chocolate (hopefully you'll actually _want _it!)


	9. Cookies and Cream

**This is the final chapter… the story finally comes to an end! It's been great writing this story, and I'm extremely grateful the response. Reviews keep me going! Also, thanks to those who saved my story in favourites and stuff, but didn't review. I do that sometimes too, so I guess I can't complain… thanks for reading my fic!**

"_Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.__" – _**Annoymous**

Remus Lupin stared at his reflection in his wardrobe mirror, absent-mindedly counting the premature lines on his face. It had been two weeks. Two weeks since he and Tonks had kissed. The moment was forever etched in his mind, one he knew he'd never forget. The feeling he had experienced… it was just incredible, mind-blowing. He was deeply and madly in love with her, and he knew she felt the same.

Why, then? Why was he constantly avoiding her, talking to her as though they were only mutual colleagues and nothing more, ignoring her confused and hurt pleas for some sort of explanation?

He still firmly believed that he did not deserve her. He had seen, that day, what was on her desk at the Ministry. A huge and certainly expensive bouquet of red roses. A secret admirer, that was the rumours he heard. And whoever it was, certainly wasn't the first.

She deserved someone better, younger, someone who could provide well for her. _Yes, _he decided. He remembered his conversation with Sirius just two nights before. _"You're being bloody stupid, Remus. She likes you. You like her. What's wrong with that? Seize the opportunity before it slips away, Remus… you deserve her completely, so stop that self-depreciating act!"_

He remembered her tearful face, her begging eyes as she tried to get through to him. _"Why are you acting like this, Remus? I'm telling you, I don't give a damn whether you're a werewolf or vampire or goodness knows, I just know I like you! Don't you remember that night?_

To which he had simply replied, "You'll understand a couple of years from now, Tonks. You're too young. I don't deserve you."

She had screamed at him for addressing her as though she was his student, threw a cushion at him and stormed off. He had not seen her since.

He glanced at the chocolate egg, now lost in all the memories he had shared with it, and Tonks, when an urgent knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. It flung open and Sirius stood there with Tonks, looking hassled.

"Something big, Remus. Harry and a couple of his friends barged into the Ministry. The death eaters'll be after them any minute now."

"What?" Remus exclaimed, shocked. "We've got to go there now. Sirius, you - "

"I'm going," he replied, his expression determined.

"No, you can't, you - "

"There's no point arguing with him, Snape's already tried," Tonks replied. She was not looking at Remus, but at the floor. "If we can round up those death eaters he's bound to be cleared, anyhow. Mad Eye and Kingsley are coming, too. We better hurry!"

Remus nodded. She looked at him briefly and he could see the hurt in her eyes, an expression that certainly did not match her bubblegum pink hair. Without another word, the three set off.

**bcd**

He could see her falling, slowly, down each step. Her eyes were closed, her wand was gone, and the death eater above her was laughing triumphantly. He wanted to run over, to see if she was alright; but he could not leave his spot, where he was currently dueling another death eater. With a cry of anger he shot an accurate Stunning spell at him, then ran over to the death eater who had caused Tonks's defeat, and sent another spell straight at his chest.

**efg**

Dead. Sirius was dead. Gone.

Remus was in his room. It seemed as though he had been lying on his bed forever, unwilling to get up and face the world. The marauders… they were all leaving him, one by one. Peter the traitor… James… and now, Sirius…

He stared up at the ceiling, ignoring the tears that were flowing freely down his cheeks. He had been like a brother, one of the best mates he would ever have. And yet he was now forever gone. And what an untimely death, too – he would have been cleared that very day, and could finally walk the streets with his head held high. But no. He had never gotten to experience that freedom.

Dimly, he wondered how Tonks was doing. Sirius was her cousin; they were very close, too. Was she currently lying on her bed, grieving, like him? What would she be thinking at this point?

All the happy times they had all shared together… seemed so far away. As though they had never happened. Remus sat up abruptly. The giant chocolate egg was still there, as big as ever. Staring at it, he felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of anger and sadness. Pulling out his wand, he pointed it straight at the egg. There was a small explosion and now, what replaced the egg was hundreds of chocolate bars, all wrapped up in plain blue plastic. Looking around, Remus spotted a plastic bag. He grabbed it, then with brutal force, scooped up the bars and dumped them unceremoniously into the bag.

**def**

He was so tired of it all. When would all these end?

He had just left the hospital wing, unable to stand it any longer. Now he stood in the dark hallway of the castle, facing a huge window. Dumbledore dead… what would happen now? The man he respected most, the man who had helped him in all sorts of ways… brutally murdered.

_Severus Snape. _His hands clenched in anger as the name appeared in his mind. And to think he had tried his best to be friendly with him, despite all that Snape had done to him in the past. Oh, how he would like to have Snape right here, in front of him, all tied up, so he could –

"Remus?"

Remus spun around. Tonks stood facing him, her hair a dirty brown, her pretty heart-shaped face pale and sad. Her outburst in the hospital wing had really hit him hard. The full realization had dawned on him now. Yes, she didn't care that he was poor, old, and dangerous. Nymphadora Tonks was beneath all these shallowness; she simply liked him for who he was. It was he, Remus that had been the stupid and shallow one. It had taken him so many tragic incidents for him to realize. But now he knew that time was running short, and that what he had been doing – dilly-dallying and making both parties suffer, that is – should stop now.

"Tonks," he said quietly, and she walked over to him.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, looking up at him.

"Not currently… but I will be, eventually," Lupin looked down at her. "I've been doing a lot of thinking."

She was watching him intently. Lupin took a deep breathe, and all the words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush. "I've only realized it now, how stupid I've been, and how much this stupidity has hurt both of us. I thought doing this would be the best thing, so you could go and find your happiness. But what you said just now… it really hit me hard. I've been totally wrong about you, Tonks. Unfortunately it took me so long, and so many incidents, to figure it out."

He glanced at her and saw that her eyes had filled with tears. "Tonks? I'm sorry. I - "

"You stupid, stupid person!" Tonks cried, and Lupin was shocked to hear the choked happiness in her voice. "It took you long enough, didn't you? You don't know how I feel now, to feel so sad, but happy at the same time…"

He pulled her close, and she held to him tightly. They stood there for a long time, enjoying the peace between them. Lupin gazed out of the window, taking in the beautiful weather. It was ironic, really, that they had to get together on Dumbledore's death. But in a way, he decided, it was really Dumbledore who had helped him in this. For hadn't McGonagall said, Dumbledore would have been happier if there would be more love around? Lupin was sure that wherever Dumbledore now was, he would be happy for the both of them, too.

The journey ahead was to be a rough one, but in their hearts they were pretty sure that they would be managing it just fine.

**The End**

**Ooh. Done. I really hope you guys will like it, and not find it too clichéd and stuff. I tried so hard, but I completely suck at writing romance scenes like this! I thought I should follow the book, and only get the two together after Dumbledore's death.**

**Thank you, ALL who read and reviewed this story. Especially those that were consistent with every chapter, despite me taking soo long to update. I love you guys, you have made writing a joy :) Please tell me what you think of this final chapter! **


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